ABSTRACT
Ankle sprains are the most common of all sports-related injuries, accounting for over 25" of cases. They are probably even more common in pedestrians and country walkers who stumble on stairways, pavements and potholes. The foot and ankle act to both support and propel the body and are well adapted for these roles. During running and jumping, loads well in excess of 10 times the body weight are transmitted through the ankle and foot. If this loading is excessive, or excessively repeated, it lead to foot and ankle injuries. Medial ligament injuries are usually associated with a fracture or joint injury. The lateral collateral ligaments consist of the anterior talofibular, the posterior talofibular and (between them) the calcaneofibular ligaments. Rupture of the deltoid ligament is usually associated with either a fracture of the distal end of the fibula or tearing of the distal tibiofibular ligaments (or both).
